Psychologists encourage us to try ‘mindful eating’

October 11, 2016

Study found those who eat chocolate ‘mindfully’ end up in better mood
Mindful eating involves focusing on food itself, taking time to savour it
It is based on Buddhist principles of meditation and control

Pat Hagan for the Daily Mail

Published:
19:51 EST, 7 October 2016

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Updated:
14:27 EST, 8 October 2016

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According to a study, chocolate lovers who engage in what psychologists call ‘mindful eating’ end up in a much better mood

Scientists have confirmed what most of us with a sweet tooth already knew – eating chocolate really does make you happy.

But the research is bad news for Bridget Jones style bingers who polish off a box of chocolates hoping to soothe their troubles.

According to the study, chocolate lovers who engage in what psychologists call ‘mindful eating’ end up in a much better mood than those who wolf down their treat without stopping to enjoy it.

Mindful eating involves focusing on the food itself, taking time to savour the flavour and not allowing anything to distract from the pleasure.

It is based on Buddhist principles of meditation and control and has been promoted in recent years as a healthy way to lose weight, by appreciating food as a source of pleasure rather than just as fuel for the body’s cells.

The UK is the world’s fourth biggest chocolate consumer, trailing only Switzerland, Germany and Ireland, with an industry reported to be worth in the region of £3.6 billion a year.

Average annual consumption per person is around 16 pounds, or just over seven kilos, and a recent survey revealed one in six Brits eats chocolate every day.

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Some studies have suggested chocolate can lift mood while others found no connection.

The latest probe, by psychologists at Gettysburg College in Pennsylvania, US, suggests the secret may lie in how chocolate fans think about what they are eating.

They recruited 258 men and women and split them into groups.

Some were given a small portion of milk chocolate to eat, containing around 75 calories – roughly a third of a small chocolate bar.

Others were given plain water table crackers to eat.

Mindful eating involves focusing on the food itself, taking time to savour the flavour and not allowing anything to distract from the pleasure. It is based on Buddhist principles of meditation and control (file photo)

The volunteers were told to either scoff their treats quickly and without really thinking about them, or to take their time and eat ‘mindfully’.

This meant first spending a few minutes holding either the chocolate or cracker in their hand and thinking about the farmers who produced the ingredients that went into making it.

Next they ate the item slowly, savouring the sensation created in the mouth.

The whole process took about four minutes for each piece of chocolate or single cracker.

Before and after the experiment, the volunteers were asked to score their feelings on a so-called ‘happiness’ scale used by psychologists to measure patients’ moods.

The results, published in the journal Appetite, showed crackers made no difference to volunteers’ happiness – no matter how they ate them.

Chocolate significantly improved mood scores but only in those who took their time to relish the sweet treat.

Researchers said the findings suggests even a small bite of chocolate can make us happy.

In a report they said: ‘It could be the case that eating 150 calories of chocolate does not enhance mood any more than 75 calories.

‘This amount seems to increase positive mood when eaten mindfully.’

They added it’s also possible other pleasurable foods, like chips and pizza, could have the same effect if eaten in the same way.

Mindfulness is already used to combat anxiety and depression.

It involves paying attention to the present moment and focusing on thoughts and feelings.

The NHS says it has a useful role to play in boosting mental wellbeing.

The latest research is not the first to suggest psychology plays a big part in how we perceive chocolate.

A 2013 study at the University of Canterbury in New Zealand found the way consumers reacted to eating chocolate cake had a major effect on their weight.

Those who saw it as something to celebrate were more likely to stay slim in the long-run than those racked with guilt afterwards.

Feeling guilty was more likely to prompt them to abandon diet and fitness plans and sink into a regime of unhealthy eating.

But viewing chocolate as a reward that was to be enjoyed meant they had a better chance of sticking to long-term weight loss goals.